Extension steps



1.- szc'zu'nEK. EXTENSION STEPS. APPLICATION min MAY 4. 192 1.

1,419,992. PaoentedJune20Q1922.

- zsuzns-sum 2. I

- avwwtz Jag Szqzuv e K JOE SZCZUREK, OF CHICAGO HEIGrHlS, ILLINOIS.

EXTENSION STEPS.

T all 10 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, don Szcznnnn, a citi- Zen of Poland, residing atChicago Heights, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Extension Steps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in aassen er railwa 1 cars andaarticularl' to improvements in the construction of the steps leadingfrom and into the vestibules of such cars.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide steps which arecapable of being lengthened or shortened simultaneously with theoperation of the step covers by compressed air in the jmanner as forinstance described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 442,049, filedFebruary 3, 1921, now

Patent No. 1,382,143, dated June 21, 1921.-

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of novel and improvedmeans for automatically extending or lengthening the steps when the stepcovers are operated to open access to the steps for allowing passengersto alight from a train stopping at a station, o'r'to board such a train.

It is a well known fact that with the steps now in use the last footboard must be kept well above the ground while the train is moving 'inorder to clear all obstructions along the road and that anattendant mustplace a separate foot stool or the like upon the station platform inorder to accommodate alighting or boarding passengers.

A further object of the invention is the provision of simple yeteflicientoperating means for, the extension and shortening of the stepsoperating simultaneously with the means for opening or raising the stepcovers.

Specification of Letters Patent. lP-wfgrgntqgd Jung 2Q 1922 Applicationfiled May 4, 1921.

Serial 1V0. 466,725.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the car step constructed according tothe present invention.

Figure 4 is a rear view thereof seen along line 4-4 of Figure 3 with thestep in extended position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 on an enlarged scale with thestep retracted, and

Figure 6 is a detail side view of the opera ting lever and spring intheir car step extending position.

Referring tothe drawings in detail, the numeral 10 designates the bottomof a car 11 having step covers 12 adapted to be operated by means of thepiston rods 13 of pistons working in air cylinders 14 secured to the carbottom 10.

Each pair of cylinders '14 011 one side of the longitudinal center lineof the car bottom is supplied with compressed air through a pipe 15,controlled by a valve 16 in the manner described in the above namedcopending application.

The step covers 12 are hingedly secured to the car bottom and each has ahinge pintle 17 which is extended through the car bot tom to form anoperating arm 18 ending in a hook 19. i

This arm 18 has secured thereto intermediate its length one end of a rod20, the

other end of which is forked and secured to the end of the piston rod13, while a spring 21 is coiled around the rod and has one of its endssecured to the fork 22 with which the rod 20 is secured to the arm 18,while the other end of said spring is secured to an eye.

23 on cylinder 14. g

The car steps 24 have side elements 25 and 26, the upper ends of whichare secured in the usual manner to the inner edges limiting the openingin the car bottom covered by the step covers 12.

The upper and. lower edges of the side elements 25 and 26 are providedwith flanges 2'? turned over to form guides for extension plates 28provided with longitudinal slots 2.) in which stop pins 30 are guidedfor limiting the up and downward movement of the extension plate 28guided with the upper and lower edges in the guides formed by flanges 27The lower ends of the extension plates are connected by a foot board 31and a movable plate 32 hingedly secured at its upper edge to the lowestfoot board of the step 24 as at 33, and extending with its lower dividededge 34 below the foot board 81 and resting with its rear face against atransverse rod 35.

A toggle comprising two arms 36 and 37,

the meeting ends of which are pivotally connected as at 38, is pivotallysecured with the upper end of its arm 36 as at 36 to a bracket 39 on theunderside of the car bottom, while the lower end of arm 37 is pivotallysecured, as at 40, to the end of a bracket 4-1 secured to the undersideof the foot board 31.

The arm 36 has an upper projection or nose 42 and the arm 37 has a lowerprojec-w tion or nose 43, and the ends of a strong coiled spring at areattached to the noses 42 and 43 respectively.

This spring has the tendency to normally keep the arms 36 and 37 in anangular position to each other by drawing the noses 42 and 43 towardseach. other. and armr 36 is provided with a flange 15 at its rear edgeadapted to be engaged by the hook 19.

The device operates as follows- Upon the operation of the piston in theair cylinder the pintle 17 will be operated to turn the car step cover12 around its hinges into its elevated or open position allowing accessto the step 24:. At the same time the hook 19 will engag the flange 45of arm 86 forcing the same inwardly so that the arms are brought out oftheir normal angular position into alignment against the tension ofspring 445. This operation by virtue of the connection of the lower endof the arm 37 with the foot board connecting the sliding plates 28 willoperate said sliding bars or plates 29 to extend from their guides whichwill be further assisted by the rotation of plate 32 around its hinges38 and engagement between its edge 34; with the rear edge of the footboard 31. By this means another foot step will be added to the step 24:enabling a convenient alighting from the trainer boarding the same.

It will be clear that upon the closure of the step cover 12 the partswill operate in the reverse order to draw the extension plates 28 in andthe last foot board 31 upwardly against the face of the hinged plate 32.1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Operating means for the extension of the steps of passenger railwaycars comprising in combination with air operated step covers, a togglehaving its arms pivotally connected at its inner meeting ends, a springfor normally holding said arms in an angular position, and an operatinglever adapted to engage one of said arms upon the operation of the stepcover, operating means for opening said covers for bringing both arms ofsaid toggle into alignment to extend the steps, said spring adapted toshorten said extension upon the disengagement of said operating leverfrom the arm of said toggle by drawing the arms thereof into the normalangular position.

2. Operating means for the extension of the steps of passenger railwaycars having air operated step covers each comprising a toggle having itsarms pivotally connected at the inner meeting ends, the upper of saidarms pivotally secured to a bracket secured at the car bottom in rear ofthe steps, the lower end of said arms pivotally secured to a bracket ofthe lowermost foot board of the extension, a nose at the upper end ofone of said arms and at the lower end of the other arm, a coiled springconnecting the noses of said arms and adapted to normally draw the sametogether to hold said arms in an angular position to each other, andmeans for leading said arms into alignment to extend the extension uponthe operation of the car door and step covers for opening the same, saidspring drawing the extension back into its normal position upon theclosing of said step covers.

3. A device of the class described comprising in combination with airoperated step covers for railway passenger cars and the steps thereof,flanges on the side elements of said steps, pins on said side elements,sliding plates guided between the flanges of said side elements andhaving longitudinal slots for engagement by said pins to limit therelative movements of said plates on said elements, a foot boardconnecting the lower ends of said slide plates, a plate hinged at itsupper edge to the lowermost foot board of the steps and engaging withits lower edge the rear of the foot'board connecting said slidingplates, means for extending said sliding plates over the lower ends ofsaid side elements upon the opening operation of the step cover and fordrawing said sliding plates back into their normal position upon theclosing operation of said step cover.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

JOE SZCZUREK.

